If not for themselves…

…the Rangers need a win tonight for the poor vendors who I shared an elevator ride with at the Garden this afternoon.

“I hope they win,” one woman said. “When they win, people want to buy stuff. No one buys anything when they lose.”

See, I was actually surprised by that. Isn’t it when a team is so depressingly bad that fans start drinking en masse? Aren’t the Rangers just one more bad period away from a record spike in Budweiser sales?

OK, so they’re not there yet. Believe it or not, a win tonight vaults them right back into eighth place in the Eastern Conference, which, while well short of what they expected during the off-season (“We signed Drury and Gomez! We’re going to be scratching and clawing for a playoff spot!”), it does serve as a reminder that their fate is in their hands.

Meanwhile, some notes:

<li>Fedor Tyutin and Dan Girardi will be reunited as a defensive pairing. Since Michal Rozsival and Marek Malik will be together as well, that leaves Marc Staal with Paul Mara.

<li>Don’t expect any emotional “These bastards knocked us out of the playoffs!” speeches from any Rangers. Given the turnover on both teams, especially on the Buffalo side, there doesn’t seem to be much point.

Strangely, I think back to that series last spring with a tinge of sadness, which is amazing when you consider it included two trips to Buffalo of all places. But having covered a lot of different cool events, playoff hockey beats them all. And right now, that’s not a given for the Rangers.

<li>On the Rangers European plans for next season: The deal that would have them play part of their exhibition in Switzerland before opening with a two-game set in Prague isn’t done yet, but either way, the team would still play some preseason games here as well.

<li>And regarding next week: The Brian Leetch retirement ceremony next Thursday begis at 6:30, not 7. Pass it on.

45 Comments

Sam. Great work. You’re the hardest working rangers beat reporter! I love your updates.(Show this to your boss when u lobby for the euro trip next preseason…lol) A belated congrats on the newest addition to your family.

I think they purposely do the Rangers last all the time on Hockey Night Live pregame so the Devils and Islanders fans don’t complain that MSG is biased towards them because its a Rangers-owned network. But all it does is make me enraged! :O

Just to wrap up the thought from the previous thread… If you really think that changing a captain or coach midseason, THIS season is going to happen…Keep dreaming.

A deal sending Jags out of town is the only way you’d see that ‘C’ change hands. And as much as some of us would like to see it, it’s still a bit far-fetched. We’re still 3-4weeks away from knowing if we’re buyers or sellers.

I’m going to try to better discipline myself and not get dragged into these insane tiraids of these DRASTIC moves. There are far worse coaches out there with under-performing teams, with owners that actualy give a damn that will retain there jobs throughout the remainder of the season as well.

If a coaching or captaincy change is all you think we need, I’ll have to be more careful to stay away from responding to those posts. Show me when a midseason coaching change ever benefitted THIS organization. Thought so.

SAM maybe you can tell the rich NYR players & Co they are affecting many. If they keep this losing up, the crowds will dwindle, hitting poor jimmyboy where it hurts, in his pocket. And the vendors get to suffer more with the fans. I’m sure Renney can come up with a speech on the subject, that would make politicians take notes.

How ’bout for the fans, the city, the folks who spend hard earned pay, the diehards, the frontrunners, the fairweathers, the negative nellies, the ones who live far away, the ones who’ve never seen the worlds most famous arena in person… but love them anyway, the new ones, the old ones, the loud ones, the drunk ones, the ones who cheer, the ones who chant, the ones who’ve “been through this before, the ones who are completely obsessed (i.e. those who visit this site and others like it) and the ones who haven’t taken the 1994 Stanley Cup Champs license plate off their car yet.

That line was due! I hope they stay together for the powerply with everybody healthy, but I know it won’t happen since Shanny has to get in there for somebody, and him playing with Jagr doesn’t work. That line needs to be shown more ice time at even strength because they are similar to the fourth line but can actually score.

Great play by Drury. Unfortunately he had to be setting up Orr. Paetsch is silly to be challenging Avery with his injury; why didn’t Paetsch go after Orr? I’m not sure how Mair got the only penalty there eirher.

I can’t understand for the life of me why Avery is still getting power play time, besides that one good pass to PRucha when Avery was out there in place of Jagr.

I think they’re back to their old ways of winning despite Renney. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the ice times for the players on that line:
â€¢Â Dawes 7:08
â€¢Â Dubinsky 6:25
â€¢Â Prucha 8:51
That is absolutely disgusting. Only 11 shifts averaged between them while Drury gets 29, Orr gets 19, Jagr gets 21, just to name a few. JEEZ!! Now I’m pissed.

As of tonight the most expendable Rangers in my opinion are Malik, Strudwick, Shanahan, Jagr,Hollweg, and Orr. As for me, they can and should be traded if there are any GM asking for them. I would not trade Prucha, Dubinsky , Dawes, Stall, Drury, Gomez , Avery, or Moore . They are untouchables for any player over 33 regardless of the players past. Or under 30 without at least 40 points so far this year.

It’s true, when the Rangers are winning, I’ll splurge for the nearly five dollar box o popcorn. When they aren’t, I eat a big lunch before I get to MSG. Because if they’re losing, they won’t make their bonus clauses, so they won’t need my popcorn money! Trickle-up economics, right? They win in Boston Saturday, I’ll gladly buy popcorn on Sunday. Think I buy t-shirts during losing streaks? Ha.

Yeah, I’m loopy from the home win. Bless li’l Petr Prucha. Instead of the DDP Line, can’t we simply dust off The Kid Line? Please….?

And Sam, it goes without saying that drowning my sorrows at MSG prices is depressing, so drinking while watching the highlight show when I get home is the way to go. So save my liver and win, fellas!!!!! ha-ha-ha